History

As a group we were interested in studying the immigration patterns of the Greek Population on Staten Island, and their history and a people prior to immigration. There is a large Greek American population on Staten Island, which is very proud of their heritage, celebrating with festivals and other special events.  However, long before they came to America, the Greek civilization was an empire, known for advances in art, literature, architecture, philosophy and theater. Famous Greek philosophers include, Socrates, Plato, and Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine (the Hippocratic Oath).   As time went on, the Greek empire grew and Hellenization occurred.  Hellenization is a term, first used in the early 17th century, to describe the spreading of Greek culture, identity, and language to foreign people.

This spreading of Greek culture was a result of Alexander the Great’s impact in the Middle East and his death, and the growth of Rome. Due to it’s location along the Mediterranean Sea, historically, Greece has been both a prosperous and powerful empire, and a location of political and economic unrest. After World War Two, fear of communism was growing rapidly within the western world.  In America, Greece and Turkey were seen as the final buffer against the U.S.S.R. reaching the Mediterranean Sea.  In order to combat the threat of communism and the domino theory, President Truman, working off of information from secret agent “Mr. X”, proposed the Truman Doctrine.  The Truman Doctrine offered $400 Million to Greece and Turkey to help them fight off the Soviets in the Greek civil War.  Following this war, many Greek citizens immigrated to America and other parts of the world.  As a result of World War Two and the onset of the Cold War, their home had become a political hotbed. This is one event which occurred in Greece in the mid-20th century which contributed to immigration to the states.

When studying immigration in American history, the Greek population is often not the first group that comes to people’s minds.  However, during the 1900’s, the Greeks made up a large part of the Staten Island population.  They opened businesses particularly in the Port Richmond area without using Greek business names so as not to discourage wary or prejudiced shoppers.  Some of the businesses included Candyland Shop, Palace Dressing, Spa Restaurant, New York Confectionary, Shoe Repair and Port Richmond Deli, and many more.  Staten Island’s Greek Community offers the Greek names of these businesses even though they were not publicly used: Caffentzis, Passias, Vallas and Sigalos, Katson’s, Papas, and Rassias.  Additionally, the Greeks were intent on keeping their culture alive, even after moving from their home country.  It was with this goal in mind that the Aristotle Society was founded, mainly in Port Richmond, an organization committed to keeping alive Greek culture, history, and language for future generations.  Port Richmond became a bustling hub of Greek culture.  For example, PS 20 on Heberton Avenue, accommodated all of the children of Greek families in the area, so much so that they entered the school speaking Greek and learned English in their classes.  Most importantly, by the 1930’s and 40’s, the Port Richmond Greek community succeeded in opening Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.  For the Greek community, religion was and is a vital aspect of their culture.

When they first immigrated, the nearest Greek Orthodox Church was St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Manhattan.  By 1929, the decision was made by the Greek Education Society of Aristotle, Inc. to build a church on Staten Island.  The land purchased to build the church was 1641 Richmond Avenue, the plot of land where the church still stands today.  The opening of the Church’s doors was celebrated on May 25, 1930.  The church is now known as the Holy Trinity – St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, where an annual Greek festival is held every summer.  The Greeks made it their mission to keep their traditions and culture alive, even after they immigrated to a new and strange land, an accomplishment they have succeeded in to the present day.

The Greek immigrant population is a minority compared to other ethnic groups. The wave of immigrants spiked between 1900 and 1920, and then peaked again in the 1980s. There is a scarcity of first hand accounts of the immigrant experience. This gap in literature can be attributed to the fact that most Greek immigrants were poor and uneducated when they sought a better life in America. In addition, little is written from the Greek woman’s perspective, as women were oppressed in the Greek culture. Research shows that early accounts of personal immigration experiences might have been written for Greek language newspapers. These publications however, were not widespread and preserved for the long term.  Gaps in literature also exist concerning adaptations from life in Greece to life in America. This includes food sources, ingredients and types. While modern literature celebrates Greek culture and traditions, there is no literature from the actual Greek immigrant perspective.